Science
From mathematics and AI to medicine and psychology, The Optimist Daily features the latest news on discoveries, technological advances, and breakthroughs in the world of science. Our Science section is here to engage and enlighten you.
Microgrids: Energy independence (and money saved) for companies
At the end of a heavily wooded, sparse industrial park here sits the North American headquarters and R&D center for Schneider Electric, which earlier this month unveiled its own campus power microgrid. The microgrid for the global energy management conglomerate is expected to produce 520,000 Read More...
Offshore wind energy is now competitive without government subsidies
The Danish wind energy giant Dong has won the rights to build two new wind farms in the German North Sea without any government subsidies. The move represents a major milestone for the offshore wind industry, which has relied on support from European governments. The zero subsidy bid is a Read More...
‘Optimism is the engine that moves society forward’
The media create too much pessimism in society, says Kevin Kelly, a long-time technology watcher and author of the new book The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future. In this video, Kelly reminds us that society is constantly making progress and that Read More...
Big business pushes for renewable energy in the most unlikely places
Here’s a big reason why renewable energy moves forward so quickly even in unlikely places like Kentucky where more than 90 percent of energy still comes from coal. Many corporations have set big goals to reduce emissions. In many cases, these are commitments they need to fulfill to satisfy their Read More...
Will Tesla do to cars what Apple did to smartphones?
As Tesla surged past Ford and General Motors last week to become the most valuable car company in the United States, here was the brusque assessment of Bruce Greenwald, a professor at Columbia Business School: “It’s nuts.” And, in a way, it is nuts. Particularly, if you ignore the Elon Musk Read More...
Solar bid prices in India have fallen 73 percent since 2010
Bids in India’s solar power market have crashed sharply ever since the government launched the National Solar Mission, data released by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy shows. According to the Ministry, average solar power tariffs in India have fallen by 73% since 2010. This has been the Read More...
Scottish wind energy powered a record 3.3 million households in March
March wasn’t even a windy month by Scottish standards, and yet, the country managed to produce 58 percent of its entire electricity needs for the entire month. That’s a staggering increase of about 81 percent compared to the same month in 2016. The impressive leap in clean energy production Read More...
Tesla will reveal its electric semi truck in September
Elon Musk just let us know when we’ll get a look at the electric semi truck that he’s teased in the past: The Tesla transport vehicle will be revealed in September, the CEO said on Twitter on Thursday, noting that the team has “done an amazing job” and that the vehicle is “seriously next Read More...
College dropout says he’s cracked the crucial component for self-driving cars
When I met him in San Francisco this week, 22-year-old Austin Russell couldn’t help but smile when I mentioned the acrimonious legal battle between Uber and Alphabet’s self-driving car unit, Waymo. Waymo says a top engineer took secret plans for lidar sensors, which map the world in 3-D using Read More...
Technology for sustainability: Meet Tarzan, the machine inspecting crops
If farmers can spot diseases in their crops sooner, they can avoid using chemicals that are unhealthy for people and planet. Technology can help them. At Georgia Tech, a team of researchers has designed a machine that will be able to use its 3D printed claws to grab onto a wire suspended over the Read More...